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2009 Aggie Awards

Written by AG Staff
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It’s that time of year again... 2009 is officially in the books, which can only mean one thing. Okay, it means it’s 2010, but it can mean only one other thing at Adventure Gamers: it’s Aggie Awards time!

Following last year’s successful debut, the Aggies return for a new three-day extravaganza of shiny golden statuettes, overly long speeches (those are by us), and divisive public reactions. Of course, along with our own selections, included in the presentation are the Readers’ Choice awards, so every game had two shots at the coveted hardware.

At the risk of sounding clichéd (heaven forbid that would happen in this genre!), bear in mind that there are no losers here, only winners. Many of the competitions were extremely close, and all nominee finalists are deserving of recognition this week. But not all of them can win, and it’s time now to celebrate the very top games in their respective fields.

Without further ado, then, Adventure Gamers is pleased to present… the 2009 Aggie Awards.
 


Table of Contents

 

Page 1: You are here

Page 2: Best Story

Page 3: Best Writing - Comedy

Page 4: Best Writing - Drama

Page 5: Best Gameplay

Page 6: Best Concept

Page 7: Best Setting

Page 8: Best Graphic Design

Page 9: Best Animation

Page 10: Best Music

Page 11: Best Voice Acting

Page 12: Best Sound Effects

Page 13: Best Port/Enhanced Re-release

Page 14: Best Casual Adventure

Page 15: Best Independent Adventure

Page 16: Best Console/Handheld Adventure (Exclusive)

Page 17: Best First-Person PC Adventure

Page 18: Best Third-Person PC Adventure

Page 19: Best Adventure of 2009

Page 20: Final notes

 


First up: Best Story... the envelope, please!

Best Story: Tales of Monkey Island

 

 

Best Story for a comedy game? And an episodic adventure to boot? It seems unlikely, doesn’t it? Almost as unlikely as ever seeing a new Monkey Island adventure almost a decade after the last. But not only did the beloved franchise return with a worthy new installment in Tales of Monkey Island, Telltale Games upped the episodic ante in a big way, producing a surprisingly epic adventure that took us sailing over and diving into the deep blue sea, swallowed down the belly (and other unmentionable areas) of a giant manatee, and ultimately sent kicking and screaming (does Guybrush know any other way?) to a world beyond our own. Full of unexpected twists and turns, with pirate battles and love triangles and everything in between, there were times of unbridled laughter and poignant moments of tenderness, leaving us never quite sure what to expect next.

Rather than a loosely connected series of episodes, the five “chapters” of Tales connect seamlessly into one long adventure, with shocking cliffhangers making it that much harder to wait another month. Yet we were always eager to follow along. Memorable characters old and new weave in and out of Guybrush’s quest to recover La Esponja Grande, an ancient voodoo artifact that’s said to have the power to remove the curse he’s accidentally unleashed. Complicating matters is his arch-nemesis, LeChuck, who has become human again and still carries a torch for Guybrush’s wife, Elaine. He’s also being chased by pirate-hunter-and-biggest-fan, Morgan LeFlay, who wants his autograph as much as she wants to deliver him to a mad French scientist. And the Voodoo Lady may well have an agenda of her own, as it’s hard to be sure if she’s helping or hindering. With a story like this, Tales of Monkey Island delivered a pirating page-turner of a sequel-in-five-parts that was well worth the wait.

Runners-Up: Emerald City Confidential, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

 


Readers’ Choice: Tales of Monkey Island

 

 

And so ends the debate about whether an episodic adventure can provide a substantial storytelling experience. Sure, we had a to wait a month between chapters, but Telltale’s first true serial clearly had us hooked for the duration in more ways than one. We laughed, we cried, often at the same time, and when it was all over, who didn’t find themselves wondering: what’s next?!

Runners-Up: Time Gentlemen, Please!, Runaway: A Twist of Fate

 


Next up: Best Writing – Comedy... the envelope, please!

Best Writing – Comedy: Tales of Monkey Island

 

 

Since its inception, the Monkey Island series has been regarded as one of the funniest video game franchises around. With LucasArts' momentous decision to resurrect the series with Tales of Monkey Island, who better to bring us the fifth installment than Telltale Games, whose predominant focus on top-notch comedic adventures has marked them as a genre leader since 2004? Not since kerosene and propylene glycol came together to make Grog has a combination of elements been more successful, or busted more guts.

Much of our stomach pain can be attributed to one man. Over the course of five ambitious episodes, Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate™, never lost his sense of humor. His hilarious dialogue choices alone caused enough fits of laughter to be worthy of this award, but luckily for us Tales of Monkey Island had much more to offer. Whether you’re trying to convince giant manatees to mate or engaging in a Pirate Face-Off, Tales consistently put players in hysterically absurd situations that still feel positively vital to the plot. New characters like the androgynous Merfolk, the map-loving Van Winslow, and the impossibly French Marquis de Singe, as well as returning favorites like the Voodoo Lady and Murray the Talking Skull, made up a population of misfits ideally suited to tickle our funny bones. Add it all together, and you get one of the most uproariously funny video games in years.

Runners-Up: Time Gentlemen, Please!, Ceville

 


Readers’ Choice: Tales of Monkey Island

 

 

Humor is such a subjective thing, but it seems we all agree that Monkey Island is as hilarious as ever. Or at least, the new installment was full of enough thigh-slapping, side-splitting, no-more-I’m-about-to-wet-myself yuks to claim the top comedy Aggie and keep a goofy grin on our faces for five months running. The combination of witty dialogue, zany sight gags, and pinpoint comedic timing worked together to create an adventure every bit as funny as it was epic.

Runners-Up: Time Gentlemen, Please!, Runaway: A Twist of Fate

 


Next up: Best Writing – Drama... the envelope, please!

Best Writing - Drama: The Blackwell Convergence

 

 

It's a rainy, bleak day in New York City. Rosangela Blackwell and Joey Mallone are in a deserted office, and a solitary man stands on the ledge outside, ready to jump to his death. But he's already dead. Like Joey. And this is what Rosa and Joey do: help listless souls find their way to the beyond. But how can you help someone who doesn't even remember who he is; perhaps doesn’t want to remember? How can you reach them, how can you convince them to let their feeble grasp go? Will you be gentle, firm but reassuring, or will you force them to choose the hard way, slapping the dire truth in the faces of these lost, wounded souls?

Deep, emotional dilemmas like this are where Dave Gilbert's script truly shines in The Blackwell Convergence, making it an apt choice for our top dramatic writing award. It’s the refusal to treat ghosts like mere plot devices or simple, single-minded foes, instead highlighting their hurt humanity, the spark of life that still flickers inside them, their bittersweet memories of a past that has been unkind. This game’s ghosts are alive. Though the premise may not be original, the writing is undeniably powerful: tender and melancholic when depicting the suffering of these tormented spirits; heartfelt and sincere when it shows how important friendship and human warmth is in a potentially depersonalizing city like New York. And yet the mood is lightened skillfully by the sassy, sharp dialogue between Rosa and Joey, reluctant partners clearly forming a bond that their banter can’t entirely conceal. All these elements combined to earn the game its Best Dramatic Writing award, proving yet again that you don’t need a big budget or glitzy graphics to tell a story successfully.

Runners-Up: 3 Cards to Midnight, Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper

 


Readers’ Choice: The Blackwell Convergence

 

Death was a common theme among the dramatic contenders, as The Blackwell Convergence’s pixelized paranormal investigators were in tough against some serial killing mystery opposition. But while the wisecracking Joey might prefer the comedy Aggie, Dave Gilbert’s third ghost story struck all the right emotional chords for staff and readers alike, presenting an ever-deepening, often touching human drama on multiple fronts.

Runners-Up: Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper, Still Life 2

 


Next up: Best Gameplay... the envelope, please!

Best Gameplay: Tales of Monkey Island

 

What do scary-face competitions, locket-powered soul transferrals, gastro-intestinal protuberances, and the Cyrano de Bergerac of manatees have in common? Easy: they’re all elements (though just a few of the many) that combine to make up the wacky obstacles of Tales of Monkey Island. Telltale series has yet to disappoint when it comes to gameplay, and Tales is the latest Aggie Award-winning example. Episode after episode, we were presented with a host of characters to chat with as much for gags as the information required, imaginative new locations to explore (with less recycling than other episodic series to date), and puzzles that demanded logic while still remaining firmly entrenched in the ridiculous world of Monkey Island. All this in a very user-friendly format, with an adjustable hint setting allowing nudges from Guybrush for anyone stuck too long, or none at all for those wanting a tougher challenge.

But what really made this series soar was the sheer creative variety of scenarios players had to resolve: matchmaking for seemingly star-crossed lovers; assembling cryptic components of voodoo spells; navigating jungles by wind and sound; acting as your own attorney in a courtroom opposite the plaid-coated, fast-talking Stan the salesman; escaping a mad scientist’s lab with the aid of a trained monkey; digging for buried treasure and burying slightly-less-valuable treasure of your own; joining an exclusive buccaneer brotherhood; and clashing blades with pirate hunter Morgan LeFlay on board your newly-commandeered ship. And doing it all with one hand tied behind your back (or “cut off” is perhaps the technical term), culminating in a classic Monkey Island final fight with the ultimate villain, LeChuck. It’s a wonderfully diverse, offbeat experience that always felt fresh, making Tales a worthy successor to the classic adventures we all know and love.

Runners-Up: Machinarium, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box

 


Readers’ Choice: Machinarium

 

 

Sick of taking a back seat to dialogue-heavy titles, the wordless Machinarium stepped up big time in the gameplay department, as the puzzle-centric robot adventure delivered where it counts to the readers. Often head-scratching, occasionally hair-pulling, but always engaging, this isn’t a game for the faint of brain, but who can argue its gameplay credentials when even the hint system is its own minigame.

Runners-Up: Tales of Monkey Island, Time Gentlemen, Please!

 


Next up: Best Concept... the envelope, please!

Best Concept: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

 

 

It takes guts to remake a classic game by ripping it apart and rebuilding it from the ground up. Just about the only thing that Silent Hill: Shattered Memories has in common with its 1998 predecessor is the initial premise: the bookish Harry Mason searching for his missing daughter in the once-quaint, now-hellish resort town of Silent Hill. But while the original relied heavily on the familiar “survival horror” formula, Shattered Memories brazenly and successfully stakes out its own territory with several ideas new to both the franchise and its genre.

The Silent Hill series has always been about pitting ordinary people against the surreal, the horrifying, and the unknowable, but this is the first time that the protagonist has been totally defenseless – Harry’s only option when faced with the nightmare creatures of the town is to run. The lack of combat makes encounters with the monsters of Silent Hill feel helpless, desperate, and intense. To balance the tension, however, Shattered Memories clearly distinguishes the limited action-based escape scenarios from the leisurely (if still terrifying) adventure portions that fill much of the experience, solving puzzles and exploring without any threat of attack.

Oh, but it doesn’t stop there. Perhaps just as conceptually noteworthy is the game’s “psychological profiling” system, combining in-game psychoanalysis sessions (which frame the game’s main story) with concealed analysis of each gamer’s play style to alter the characters, locations, and narrative to a surprising degree. This system brilliantly plays into the game’s themes of perception, memory, and grief. Just one of these concepts might have earned this award on its own merits, but together they made an unstoppable force.

Runners-Up: The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, Machinarium

 


Readers’ Choice: Machinarium

 

 

We didn’t ask for specifics, so it’s hard to know exactly what concept impressed you readers the most about Machinarium. But isn’t that really the point? Whether it's the silent storyline, tightly-interwoven game areas, three-tiered height restriction, clever moving-parts logic puzzles, or just the brilliantly-imagined robot world itself, when you don’t know which conceptual element is most impressive, you know a game is onto something good.

Runners-Up: Tales of Monkey Island, Time Gentlemen, Please!

 


Next up: Best Setting... the envelope, please!

Best Setting: Emerald City Confidential

 

 

At first it might seem like basing a game world around one of the most popular series of fantasy books of all time would be a no-brainer, but trying to put a unique twist on a beloved franchise is a path fraught with potential dangers. How do you make it fresh and new while staying faithful to the source material and not offending the hardcore fans? Emerald City Confidential is the answer. Designer Dave Gilbert managed to forge a noir version of the Land of Oz that is both instantly familiar and completely different. In this Emerald City, the buildings still glow a beautiful green, yet they never manage to illuminate the dark alleys.

Like any noir mystery worthy of the name, the game begins at a mysterious warehouse, and from there it travels to all the expected locations: the dockside, a seedy bar, an all-night diner, and a sinister millionaire’s hilltop mansion. The difference is, each one is infused with a particular Oz-style and charm that makes them memorable, filled with distinctive characters like Cowardly Lion the shady lawyer, Besty Bobbins the local tramp, and Petra the world-weary private eye. The number of little details (not to mention Easter Eggs) taken from the original novels is sometimes staggering, and create a sense that the environs you’re visiting existed before you arrived and will continue to after the credits roll. The hallmark of a great setting is that players want to return to it again and again, and we’re certain the world of Emerald City Confidential contains dozens more mysteries, secrets, and cover-ups just waiting for us to investigate.

Runners-Up: Machinarium, Dark Fall: Lost Souls

 


Readers’ Choice: Machinarium

 

 

You wouldn’t want to live there, but plenty of readers sure enjoyed visiting the rusted metallic landscapes of Machinarium. And for great reason, as the game provides a truly memorable trip from the outlying trash heaps to the very nerve center of a robot metropolis, stopping just long enough to drop quarters at the video arcade, tend plants in the dilapidated terrarium, and dance a jig at the street corner jazz show along the way.

Runners-Up: Tales of Monkey Island, Time Gentlemen, Please!

 


Next up: Best Graphic Design... the envelope, please!

Best Graphic Design: Machinarium

 

 

The tiny Czech studio responsible for Samorost has always produced visually compelling games. But the cult freeware favorite and its sequel mixed cute but simple flash cartoons with re-purposed photography, and Amanita Design promised to up the ante for its feature-length debut, welcoming artist Adolf Lachman and animator Jara Plachy to the team. The outcome: Machinarium, a painterly dreamland of rusting metal and machinery, intricate detail and implausibly picturesque structures, all done using a muted colour palette and woven out of living concept art.

Each new background in Machinarium is a tantalizing reward for progress; each robot design perfectly evokes its distinctive character. And it’s all done wordlessly. Here the graphics not only provide the eye-candy, but drive the narrative as well, allowing pictures to tell their own stories that no amount of words could do as well. Better yet, the presentation doesn't obstruct the gameplay – there's no pixel hunting here, as every tiny button on the wall or collectable object is laid out with natural clarity. To cram so many visual wonders into every corner of a game takes a particularly deft touch, and Amanita has demonstrated that in abundance.

Runners-Up: Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures, Mata Hari, Runaway: A Twist of Fate

 


Readers’ Choice: Machinarium

 

 

How often do you see some concept art for a game and wish the finished version actually looked like that? The raw design art is less polished but more human, less managed but more natural. In Machinarium, that’s exactly what we get, and clearly we all loved it. It’s dirty, it’s grimy, it’s broken down and decrepit, it’s nearly monochromatic and looks like a pencil sketch… and it trounced all opposition for the best looking game all year.

Runners-Up: Tales of Monkey Island, Runaway: A Twist of Fate

 


Next up: Best Animation... the envelope, please!

Best Animation: Machinarium

 

Sometimes the simplest tools are still the most effective in skilled hands. You’d think a game made with Adobe Flash would struggle under the burden of its limited framework, but Amanita Design understands how to squeeze every last drop out of Flash animation techniques. In Machinarium, flat paintings come to life with subtle ambient detail, robot characters move expressively and fluidly, while cinematics are frequent and generous in length and personality. Even the idling animation of the player character has half a dozen variations, and we dare even the most hardened cynic not to feel utterly charmed by the optional robot dance sequence.

Being animated on a flat plane, Amanita has used an array of clever techniques like motion blurring to disguise that, simply put, they're doing the digital equivalent of pushing paper dolls around, and the result is a well-rounded and coherent world. Yet there’s still more to the presentation than that, as thought bubbles appear above characters’ heads in lieu of dialogue, and the remarkably revealing contents of each are animated in delightfully shaky line drawings. Such animation fits the aesthetic perfectly. Indeed, the art and animation achieve a natural, elegant symbiosis, earning Machinarium the animation Aggie to add to the design award already in its virtual trophy cabinet.

Runners-Up: Tales of Monkey Island, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box

 


Readers’ Choice: Machinarium

 

 

Ever wonder where a game protagonist stores all the inventory items? We didn’t have to wonder in Machinarium, as we watched the little robot gobble down, suck up, or otherwise mechanically ingest his collectables in numerous endearing ways. It’s just one tiny example, but indicative of the incredible attention to animated detail that characterizes this deserving reader vote winner.

Runners-Up: Tales of Monkey Island, Runaway: A Twist of Fate

 


Next up: Best Music... the envelope, please!

Best Music: Machinarium

 

 

These production awards for Machinarium are starting to feel like a broken record, aren’t they? But this one sure doesn’t sound like one! This award provided some of the fiercest competition of all, but any soundtrack that warrants its own standalone music release must be something special. Sure enough, Tomas Dvorak’s soundtrack for Machinarium made the game sound every bit as great as it looks.

The music’s greatest achievement is the way it intuitively captures the feel of Machinarium’s distinctive style. The game itself melds grimy, industrial, almost post-apocalyptic scenery with lovable, anthropomorphic robots – think WALL-E through a surrealist filter. It makes sense, then, that the music is an eclectic hybrid as well: a relaxing mélange of minimalist electronic, glitch-pop, ambient, and even the odd bit of folk. It’s a loving compromise between airy charm and foreboding, mechanical electronic that is refreshing, unique, and the perfect accompaniment for the game’s robot hijinx.

Runners-Up: Tales of Monkey Island, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures

 


Readers’ Choice: Tales of Monkey Island

 

 

For Tales of Monkey Island, the talents of John Marsden and some random guy off the street named Michael Land were brought in to helm the accompaniment. (Okay, so Land composed the music for many enduring LucasArts classics, but other than those.) Not surprisingly, the pair created a splendidly jaunty soundtrack that fit the whimsical settings perfectly and earned it the readers’ choice award. We’d argue harder for our staff selection, but we’ve got that darned MI theme song stuck in our heads now. Thanks a lot.

Runners-Up: Machinarium, Runaway: A Twist of Fate

 


Next up: Best Voice Acting... the envelope, please!

Best Voice Acting: Tales of Monkey Island

 

 

He just wouldn’t have been Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate™ without Dominic Armato, Mighty Voice Actor behind the mic. Armato’s rendition of Guybrush—a consistent and believable mix of funny, heroic, and human—made us feel instantly at home in this brave new Tales of Monkey Island world. He had plenty of help, too, as the rest of the cast also gave spot-on performances month after month. Stand-outs include Alexandra Boyd as the wily and unpredictable Elaine, Denny Delk as the murderous Murray the demonic talking skull, Nikki Rapp as tough-turned-tender mercenary Morgan LeFlay, Roger L. Jackson as over-the-top first mate Reginald van Winslow, and Kevin Blackton as the comically (dare we say it?) lovable human LeChuck. And let’s not forget fan favorite Earl Boen’s surprise return as demon LeChuck—a mid-season recast that made the grand finale all the more exciting.

To claim the Aggie, however, many of the same actors had to beat out the toughest competition of all: themselves. The episodic series was only barely able to edge out the brand new vocal performances of The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (plus those upstarts from Oz). But the ability to seamlessly weave old favorites and delightful newcomers alike was a major accomplishment for the current iteration, and the acting performances went a long way to making it feel like a true Monkey Island experience and a worthy successor in this highly-acclaimed (and now even higher!) franchise.

Runners-Up: The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, Emerald City Confidential

 


Readers’ Choice: Tales of Monkey Island

 

 

We say Aggie, you say Armato, but it all adds up to a unanimous selection of Tales of Monkey Island for the top voice acting award. Of course, the now-synonymous voice of Guybrush had plenty of help in making the latest installment such an aural delight. Both returning cast favorites and new additions delivered pitch-perfect performances, making the series every bit as much fun to listen to as it was to watch (and play).

Runners-Up: Runaway: A Twist of Fate, Emerald City Confidential

 


Next up: Best Sound Design... the envelope, please!

Best Sound Effects: Dark Fall: Lost Souls

 

 

The emphasis on sound effects to enhance a frightening experience is one of the most important conventions of the horror genre, but perhaps one of the most underrated. While the impact is often subtle and difficult to gauge on its own, any door can give you chills when it swings open into the unknown with a slow, agonizing creak that dares you to step inside and see what lies in the darkness beyond. There are lots of doors in Dark Fall: Lost Souls. But it doesn’t end there, as series creator Jonathan Boakes understands full well what a key element sound is in building up an atmosphere of tension and dread.

Slowly exploring the darkened halls of the abandoned Dowerton train station and the labyrinthine corridors of the nearby hotel is an often unnerving experience: though rarely a genuine danger, horrors lurk in every shadow and restless ghosts wait in hiding until you’re distracted. However, it's the carefully planned soundscape that builds this tension: long before any visual shock comes the groan of the timeworn floor boards, the ominous whistle of the wind, the whispers – "Over here!" – murmured behind your back. These sinister noises are bound to raise the hair on the back of your neck, creating an almost unbearable suspense that needs a release. They may be as old as gothic fiction itself, but for its hauntingly effective use of these gimmicks, Dark Fall: Lost Souls deserves our Best Sound Effects award, and Jonathan Boakes the thanks of every horror buff for once again delivering a genuinely terrifying aural experience.

Runners-Up: Machinarium, Return to Mysterious Island 2

 


Readers’ Choice: Tales of Monkey Island

 

 

Sound is every bit as important in comedy as horror. Things may go bump in the night, but they to go sproing, splat, and whoosh in the daylight. At least, they do in the the world of Tales of Monkey Island, which managed to complete the reader poll audio trifecta. From resounding cannon fire to gurgling manatee juices to a sound-based jungle maze, the ambient effects never missed a (figurative or literal) beat.

Runners-Up: Machinarium, Runaway: A Twist of Fate

 


Next up: Best Port/Updated Re-release... the envelope, please!

Best Port/Updated Re-release: The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition

 

 

Creating an updated version of one of the most beloved games of all time is a tricky proposition, especially almost two decades later. It must be sufficiently modernized to appeal to gamers who have never played it before, while staying faithful enough to the original to avoid alienating the fanbase. The developers behind The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition walked this line perfectly by including an ingenious feature: the ability for the player to switch between the original and updated versions of the game at any time. The original graphics, interface, and music are all still there for purists to enjoy, while gamers who are turned off by VGA-style graphics never even have to see them.

When an update is handled as well as this one, even the holdouts and skeptics owe it to themselves to check it out. The new interface has been streamlined to automatically provide the most likely choice, while the full menu of interactive options is only a button-press away. The already-legendary soundtrack was re-recorded with an orchestra and sounds better than ever. The voice actors from Curse of Monkey Island were all brought in to reprise their roles, and the dialogue sounds just like it was meant to be spoken all along. A built-in hint system means players never have to leave the game for help, and the HD graphics, perhaps the most controversial of the updates, are full of new, colorful details and animation. Added together, The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition stands as a shining example of how an older property can be re-imagined for today’s audience, and should be the measuring stick by which future updates are judged.

Runners-Up: Beneath a Steel Sky – Remastered, Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars – Director’s Cut

 


Readers’ Choice: The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition

 

 

After so many years of nothing, we obviously agree that 2009 was an embarrassment of Monkey Island riches. But a little embarrassment never hurt anyone, so we all had our fill, not only with the new Tales episodes, but LucasArts’ own clever remake of its seminal classic. Everything old was new again, but still old, then new again, then old... (Admit it, you wore out the version-switch button that alternated between original glory and shiny new update!)

Runners-Up: Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars – Director’s Cut, Myst

 


Next up: Best Casual Adventure... the envelope, please!

Best Casual Adventure: Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove

 

 

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the trend towards more “casual” adventure-like experiences has grown in leaps and bounds of late. So many titles now weave between the boundaries of hidden object hunts, lite puzzle games, and full-fledged adventures, it’s hard to know where one genre ends and another begins anymore. But while they may defy classification, they certainly can’t be ignored, and this year the best of them deserve their own recognition. Even without its own Aggie category, last year Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst earned plenty of notice, so it should come as no surprise that the award for Best Casual Adventure goes to Dire Grove, a sequel that moves the franchise forward in even more impressive ways.

Unlike standard seek-and-find titles, Dire Grove emphasizes free exploration of its wintry rural environs as you attempt to get to the bottom of an intriguing little ghost story. The game does include many hidden object sequences that aren’t organically integrated, but there are many more noteworthy aspects that make it stand out: an FMV backdrop filmed à la Blair Witch Project with a powerful and satisfying finale, many traditional inventory obstacles and a collection of standalone puzzles, plus its remarkable production values are just some of the reasons why this game might appeal not only to existing casual gamers, but to any adventurer searching for a "lite" gameplay experience between more traditional fare.

Runners-Up: 3 Cards to Midnight, Drawn: The Painted Tower

 


Readers’ Choice: 3 Cards to Midnight

 

If there was any fear that Tex Murphy masterminds Chris Jones and Aaron Conners had lost their storytelling touch in a decade away from the genre, it was put to rest in the debut of their new casual series. It wasn’t Tex and wasn’t the full-blown adventure game many yearned for, but this unique style of “story game” told a riveting tale that kept you coming back for more, with word-based gameplay doing the same in between the previous twist and the next unexpected turn.

Runners-Up: Drawn: The Painted Tower, Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove

Next up: Best Independent Adventure... the envelope, please!

Best Independent Adventure: Machinarium

 

 

With three staff Aggies under Machinarium's belt already, there was only one obvious choice for our top independent adventure of 2009. With due respect to the excellent runners-up that would be serious contenders in any other year, Amanita's wonderful robot confection is the kind of game independent distribution is made for. Intricate 2D art design? Check. Industrial quantities of whimsy? Check. No messy speech to localize? Check. Immersive soundscapes? Check. Obscure niche genr- well, you get the picture.

In short, Machinarium takes all the risks a bigger, publisher-backed production couldn't. Or wouldn’t. The fact that every one pays off is nothing short of outstanding.

If you don’t know by now, Machinarium follows the adventures of an enterprising little robot on his quest to free his captive love and save a robot city from the machinations of dastardly (but comedic) crooks. It's a stunningly simple set-up on paper – unremarkable, even. But Machinarium does everything right: the beautiful hand-painted art and fluid animation, wordless storytelling, challenging gameplay with perfectly executed difficulty curve, and atmospheric, infectious music. All of these combine to make the game truly engaging at every turn, with the potential to charm even the most jaded of adventurers. Publishers? Who needs ‘em!

Runners-Up: The Blackwell Convergence, Time Gentlemen, Please!

 


Readers’ Choice: Machinarium

 

 

Bet you didn’t see this one coming! Well, maybe the whopping five readers’ choice awards so far was a bit of a clue that Machinarium would be the overwhelming winner for top indie adventure of the year. And for good reason – many good reasons, in fact, as Amanita Design’s first foray into the world of full-scale adventures was a huge success for the tiny Czech studio.

Runners-Up: Time Gentlemen, Please!, The Blackwell Convergence

 


Next up: Best Console/Handheld Adventure... the envelope, please!

Best Console/Handheld Adventure (Exclusive): Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (aka Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box)

 

 

Five years after its release, the Nintendo DS is still the most prolific non-PC platform for the genre. And it’s no mystery why. While maintaining a familiar point-and-click interface (albeit with a stylus in hand instead of a mouse), the unique little handheld device allows players to comfortably lounge in their favorite chairs or fit a little gaming in while on the go. And with its limited hardware, the DS lends itself perfectly to titles that emphasize gameplay over technology. In the right developer hands, the result can be a picturesque adventure full of odd characters and mind-blowing puzzles, enriched by a stunning visual presentation that seems to stem from a Miyazaki movie. Sound familiar?

Yes, for the second year in a row, a Professor Layton adventure wins our Best Console/Handheld category hands-down, so the eccentric archeologist and puzzle-solver extraordinaire can now proudly add a second Aggie to his award showcase. Thanks to its charming atmosphere, a cast of whimsical characters, and especially its vast collection of brain-teasing conundrums, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box is a must-play for fans of puzzle-driven games. Though the story is undeniably thin, the quirky tale of Pandora's Box, the whimsically compelling mystery of the Molentary Express, and the quaint ambiance of the villages scattered alongside its course provide an endearing backdrop for Layton and Luke's escapades. Add to this a lovely graphic design, catchy soundtrack, and tons of wonderfully animated cutscenes, and it’s clear why every player is in for a delightful experience that can warm the heart while challenging the little grey cells like few other games can, regardless of genre or platform.

Runners-Up: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, Jake Hunter Detective Story: Memories of the Past

 


Readers’ Choice: Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box

 

 

Apparently we’re all suckers for a good puzzle. Or if not just one, then for a mind-boggling (and not for the last time) 150-plus puzzles in the stylish Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box. Sure it may be more a puzzle game than fully-integrated adventure, but the Professor’s second title is the sort of challenging, just-one-more experience that makes people consider buying a Nintendo DS all on its own.

Runners-Up: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, Another Code: R – A Journey into Lost Memories

 


Next up: Best First-Person PC Adventure... the envelope, please!

Best First-Person PC Adventure: Dark Fall: Lost Souls

 

 

As a slideshow-style 2D adventure game with limited animation, Jonathan Boakes’ Dark Fall: Lost Souls relies on its imagination to scare you... or rather, using your own imagination against you. Where other horror games bludgeon the player with monsters and combat or cheap scare tactics, here you’re all alone with creaking floor boards, tinkling wind chimes, squawking crows – these little touches are the only signs of life, which makes it all the more eerie when you starting hearing other… things. Maybe you aren’t so alone after all? Further exploration keeps you on edge with a constant reminder that something is very wrong in the old Dowerton train station and hotel, from the creepy mannequin pageantry to syringe-stabbed mattresses to actual otherworldly entities appearing in the dark, often just on the periphery of view.

That’s perhaps what makes the game so great as a first-person experience. Your role may be the anonymous “Inspector”, but the fear is your fear, the perspective is your perspective. This proves important, because for all its ghostly inhabitants, Lost Souls has a very human element as well. Indeed, it’s debatable which is the more haunted: Dowerton or The Inspector himself. Of course, there’s much more to a game than being scared, and this adventure backs up its horror quotient with solid gameplay and graphic quality that’s much improved (and put to good use) over the two previous Dark Fall games. At the end of the day, though, you’ll want to be frightened, and there’s a reason we called this game “one of the scariest point-and-click adventures ever”. For that accomplishment, it deserves the Aggie for this year’s top first-person title.

Runners-Up: Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper, Return to Mysterious Island 2

 


Readers’ Choice: Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper

 

 

Ironically, this year’s readers’ choice could have won both first- and third-person awards, as Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper was the first game from Frogwares to release with both perspectives and two control methods available. But winning even one is a significant accomplishment, and the great detective’s showdown with the notorious serial killer was all the more compelling (if a little grisly) when viewed up close and personal.

Runners-Up: Dark Fall: Lost Souls, Return to Mysterious Island 2

 


Next up: Best Third-Person PC Adventure... the envelope, please!

Best Third-Person PC Adventure: Tales of Monkey Island

 

 

We never thought we’d see the day a brand new Monkey Island game was released. With most of the adventure design legends long gone from LucasArts and the company seemingly finished with the genre forever, hope seemed slim. But neither death nor voodoo curses nor corporate indifference can keep a good franchise down, and so it was that Tales of Monkey Island sprang to life this year, this time in the hands of Telltale Games. Of course, the minute the new episodic series was announced, the fears followed soon after: could it possibly live up to the legacy of its Golden Era predecessors?

Here are three words to answer that question: Aggie Award winner.

Even over tough competition, Guybrush and crew’s long-awaited return to prime time is our pick for best third-person PC game of the year. The series stayed true to its roots while also forging new territory, providing a hearty dose of fan service without sinking too far into nostalgia. Story-wise, the stakes were raised with each installment, making the five chapters feel like an epic adventure befitting a Mighty Pirate™. While the gameplay might not have induced the kind of hotline-calling frustration of the older titles, it still had that trademark Monkey Island wackiness, and the game’s more serious moments were balanced out with an equal amount of absurdity. After five straight months of new Monkey Island content following nearly a decade of deprivation, it’s hard to stop injecting “Arrr” into everyday conversation and go back to our normal lives. Good thing Tales’ ending left the door wide open for a sequel…

Runners-Up: Machinarium, Emerald City Confidential, Runaway: A Twist of Fate
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Readers’ Choice: Tales of Monkey Island

 

 

Much like the staff vote, this category was like a clash of titans. With individual Aggies practically even, Tales of Monkey Island and Machinarium were destined for a final confrontation among readers at some point, and it was Telltale’s piratey adventure that came out on top. We waited a long time for the return of this beloved franchise, and it didn’t disappoint. That said, lucky for Guybrush and company this isn’t the Best Third-Robot award…

Runners-Up: Machinarium, Runaway: A Twist of Fate

 


Next up: Best Adventure of 2009... the envelope, please!

Best Adventure of 2009: Tales of Monkey Island

 

 

With five individual Aggies to its credit already (one for every episode?), the grand winner for 2009 should come as no surprise. Not so long ago, however, it wasn’t so certain. The stunning announcement of Tales of Monkey Island was met with great enthusiasm, but also trepidation. After nearly a decade of silence, could a brand new installment possibly meet the expectations of passionate fans of the Golden Era classics? When more was revealed, the concerns grew for some: “It’s 3D! It’s episodic! It’s not point-and-click! It’s not LucasArts!” But whatever it may or may not be, from July to December the five serial Tales convinced us all of one simple thing:

Tales of Monkey Island is good. It’s very, very good. And today it’s the owner of our Best Adventure of 2009 Aggie Award.

Despite some noteworthy competition that could very well have won in any other year, Tales stood out from the rest for its achievements in every relevant area. With an epic storyline that blew away the standards of previous episodic series, a wide variety of creative scenarios, laugh-out-loud dialogue, and all the usual production qualities we’ve come to expect of Telltale, Tales consistently showed that the modern day franchise is in the right hands. With its 5-star apex in Lair of the Leviathan, there were inevitable ups and downs (both literally and figuratively), but there was never a dull moment, and no game more deserving of the top award we have to bestow.

Runners-Up: Machinarium, Emerald City Confidential, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box

 


Readers’ Choice: Tales of Monkey Island

 

 

Even before this, 2009 probably would have been known as the Year of the Monkey for adventure gamers. This time last year, Monkey Island seemed dead, but the surprise five-episode Tales rekindled our love for Guybrush Throwback and the gang, and is a deserving winner of the readers’ choice Game of the Year Aggie. Full props to the runners-up, too, as two indies rounding out the top three is a wonderful accomplishment for the small teams behind them.

Runners-Up: Machinarium, Time Gentlemen, Please!

 


And so ends the 2009 Aggie Awards. Still to come, a few administrative notes and a complete 2009 game list, but don’t forget to leave your feedback on all the choices we got right. Or wrong. But mostly right.


The Adventure Gamers staff would like to offer our sincere congratulations to the developers and publishers of all games that won awards (plus those that made the finals), and our thanks to the many readers who participated in our public voting poll.

See you all again next year!
 


Aggie Awards rules and regulations

 

All staff nominations were submitted privately, seen and verified only by two awards administrators. Final voting followed the same procedure.

To ensure total impartiality, no staff member was permitted to nominate any game in which they were involved in any way outside of official Adventure Gamers press coverage. For the purpose of final voting, no staff member was permitted to vote in any category that included a game they were involved in.

To be considered, a game must have had its first release in a major English language market in the calendar year 2009. Major markets include North America and the United Kingdom. Alternatively, any game first made available through digital distribution or self-published online during the year was also eligible.

For the sake of administrative simplicity, Tales of Monkey Island and Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures have been listed as a single entity.
 


Complete list of eligible games

 

Traditional PC Adventures (includes multi-platform releases)

 

Adam's Venture: Episode 1 - The Search for the Lost Garden

Ankh: Battle of the Gods

Art of Murder: Hunt for the Puppeteer

Black Circle: A Carol Reed Mystery

Blackwell Convergence

Casebook: Episode II – The Watcher

Casebook: Episode III - Snake in the Grass

Ceville

Chronicles of Mystery: The Tree of Life

CSI: Deadly Intent (PC, Wii, Xbox 360)

Dark Fall: Lost Souls

Diabolik: The Original Sin (PC, Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP, DS)

Diamon Jones: Amulet of the World

Diamon Jones: Eye of the Dragon

Divine Comedy, The

Downfall

Emerald City Confidential

Fenimore Fillmore’s Revenge

Gobliiins 4

Heaven

Last Half of Darkness: Tomb of Zojir

Legend of Crystal Valley, The

Les Misérables: The Game of the Book

Machinarium

Mata Hari

Memento Mori

Nancy Drew: Ransom of the Seven Ships

Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy

Pizza Morgana: Episode 1

Return to Mysterious Island 2

Runaway: A Twist of Fate

Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis (PC, DS)

Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper (PC, Xbox 360)

Static: Investigator Training

Still Life 2

Tales of Monkey Island (PC, Wii)

Time Gentlemen, Please!

Treasure Island

Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures (PC, Xbox 360)

Yoomurjak’s Ring

 

Console/Handheld Exclusives

 

Agatha Christie: The A.B.C. Murders (DS)

Another Code: R (Wii)

Axel & Pixel (Xbox 360)

Chronicles of Mystery: Curse of the Ancient Temple (DS)

CSI: Deadly Intent – The Hidden Cases (DS)

Hardy Boys: Treasure on the Tracks (DS)

Inkheart (DS)

Jake Hunter Detective Story: Memories of the Past (DS)

Miami Law (DS)

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (DS)

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Wii)

Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion (DS)

 

Casual Games

 

3 Cards to Midnight

Anka

Avenue Flo

Big Brain Wolf

Drawn: The Painted Tower

Dream Chronicles: The Chosen Child

Fall Trilogy: Chapter 1 - Separation

Green Moon

Hidden Expedition: Devil's Triangle

Hidden Mysteries: Titanic (PC, Wii)

Iron Roses

Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove

Nancy Drew Dossier: Resorting to Danger

Pahelika: Secret Legends

Women’s Murder Club: A Darker Shade of Grey

 

Ports/Enhanced Re-releases

Beneath a Steel Sky - Remastered (iPhone/iPod Touch)

Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - Director’s Cut (Wii, DS)

Labyrinth of Time (iPhone/iPod Touch)

Myst (iPhone/iPod Touch)

Sam & Max Save the World (Xbox 360)

Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space (Xbox 360)

Secret of the Lost Cavern (iPhone/iPod)

Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy (DS)

Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (PC, Xbox 360)
 


Contributors to the writing of this article include: Jack Allin, Nate Berens, Drummond Doroski, Dante Kleinberg, Emily Morganti, Andrea Morstabilini, Stuart Young.

The Aggie Award designed by Bill Tiller.

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